LA LA LAND (2016) Courtesy Lionsgate
Having just seen La La Land, let me sum it up this way…
Pure Movie Magic.
Written and directed by Academy Award (R) nominee Damien Chazelle, La La Land tells the story of Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 93% rating with an audience score of 91% (liked it.)
Mini Review Aggregate – Courtesy Rotten Tomatoes
Almost anyone who happens to see it will be converted by minute three. Guaranteed.
Full Review… | December 22, 2016
Globe and Mail
Top Critic
Chazelle has reinvigorated the big-screen musical by embracing the present while paying tribute to the past, by balancing irony and innocence, novelty and nostalgia.
Full Review… | December 18, 2016
The Atlantic
Top Critic
[beautifulquote align=”full” cite=””]”La La Land” is a special, special experience, and movies like this don’t come around too often.[/beautifulquote]
Full Review… | December 16, 2016
Detroit News
Top Critic
The movie comes off as a well-intended tribute to the fabulous MGM musicals of the great Vincente Minnelli, made by people who have never seen one.
Full Review… | December 15, 2016
New York Observer
Top Critic
This is one crowd-pleaser worth getting behind.
Full Review… | December 15, 2016
San Diego Reader
Top Critic
It’s simply wonderful.
Full Review… | December 15, 2016
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic
The beauty of La La Land is that is uses an escapist format to tell a story about professional disappointment and the limitations of love. It’s a romance for cynics.
Full Review… | December 22, 2016
FilmDrunk
It’s deeply derivative yet wholly original, an odd mix that will keep audiences on their toes.
Full Review… | December 21, 2016
Cambridge Day
Audiences find themselves carried away. That may be sensible enough. What’s odd is that La La Land is not the merry entertainment it sometimes seems to be.
Full Review… | December 21, 2016
National Post
Simultaneously escaping into fantasy and reflecting reality, La La Land proves a big-hearted delight… dream-like in style but ultimately melancholy in sentiment.
Full Review… | December 20, 2016
ArtsHub